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Abrams Explorer — the beautiful aircraft overtaken and swept aside by historyhttps://travelforaircraft.wordpress.com/2015/02/18/abrams-explorer-write/
https://travelforaircraft.wordpress.com/2015/02/18/abrams-explorer-write/#commentsWed, 18 Feb 2015 06:00:26 +0000http://travelforaircraft.wordpress.com/?p=17956]]>Abrams Explorer — the beautiful aircraft overtaken and swept aside by history

Abrams Explorer — National Air & Space Museum photo

Talbert Abrams was instrumental in regard to aerial photography and photogrammetry development during most of the 20th Century. There is an award in his name as well as a mountain range and a mountain named for him. Abrams even developed a sun compass for use by downed aircrews in World War II North Africa where the landscape defining iron-rich rock formations relegate conventional magnetic compasses to the trash heap. Abrams had an innovative talent which recognized few bounds as he guided the development of the Abrams Explorer, first flying in 1938. The Explorer was purpose-built for aerial photography due to hermetically sealed ports for the cameras and the forward position for the photographer who had a nearly panoramic view.

Abrams Explorer — National Air & Space Museum photo

Abrams envisioned Explorers flown for governments and large businesses making quick and accurate work photographing the lands as much as 20,000 feet below. World War II brought a premature end to this excellent aircraft since it could not survive an environment populated with opposing fighter aircraft. By World War II’s end aerial cameras had gotten smaller as well as more sophisticated leaving the Explorer and its on-board photographer in history’s pile of the what-could-have-been. The sole Explorer which was built happily exists though stored in a National Air & Space Museum warehouse.

Last of Britain’s biplane bomber aircraft the Heyford unusually had the fuselage and upper wing directly attached to one another while the lower wing’s thickened midsection’s bomb bay was capable of a 2500 pound/1134 kg bomb load. The open crew compartments as well as fabric covered wings and aft fuselage belie the modern metal monocoque forward fuselage and metal wing structure. Defensive armament was not overly intimidating with three .303 Lewis machine gun positions but the Heyford’s best defensive strategy was in flying missions at night at speeds up to 142 mph/229 km/h.

Built about a decade after the historic Wright Brothers flight at Kittyhawk, Giovanni Battista Caproni’s Ca.20 presaged the modern monoplane fighter design in 1914. Novel for the time with its streamlined metal engine cowl it was also armed with a Lewis 0.303 caliber machine gun mounted above the propeller arc.

Caproni Ca.20’s metal streamlined engine cowling was an innovation in 1914 — photo by Joseph May

The Italian government ordered Caproni to concentrate on bomber aircraft designs and abandon the Ca.20 fighter. Oh what could have been! The Italian government’s decision all the more incredible since the Ca.20 was faster than German and French aircraft which were the standards of the day.

The Caproni Ca.20 in the Museum of Flight — photo by Joseph May

Caproni stored the only Ca.20 for 85 years until sold to the Museum of Flight where it resides today—all original in a conserved state, slight fabric tears and all, except for the tires. This handmade aircraft is a wonder to behold in its century old condition.

Caproni Ca.20 armament was this single 0.303 caliber Lewis machine gun — photo by Joseph May

There was little protection from the wind for the pilot or but the view from the cockpit was outstanding for its time. Power developed from a Le Rhône 110 horsepower rotary engine.

Edward J. Saylor and his rare exploit have been written of in this blog. He was the engineer/gunner on “TNT” which was in the 15th slot for taking off aboard the USS Hornet on her way to launch the now famous Doolittle Raid during the USA’s early and desperate days of World War II. Famous now, but at the time considered by most of the flight crews on the mission a one way trip. What Ed Saylor did was nothing less than extraordinary by performing heavy engine maintenance on a rolling flight deck — maintenance performed in hangars normally. It was Ed who kept TNT in the mission instead of being pitched over the Hornet’s side. His exploit is written about in the post, Doolittle Raider Ed Saylor — Plane No. 15 (TNT) would have been pushed over the side except for him.

Ed Saylor signing memorabilia — Gene Fioretti photo

We are fortunate that Gene Fioretti has recorded this achievement otherwise this incredible story might have been lost. He has kindly provided his written work, retaining the copyright, for us to read about Ed Saylor’s journey leading to his flying on the Doolittle raid and after. It is quite a story! The entire story can be read here 9CCC VOL.9, 2.0 THE DOOLITTLE RAID FINAL VERSION (1.2Mb file size PDF) — thanks to Gene Fioretti at gino.fioretti@comcast.com.

Aeromarine West Indies Airways began flying paying passengers this day in 1920 on the Key West–Havana route. The company flew mail for the U.S. Postal service and well as business people and tourists in a seaplane modified by the parent company, Aeromarine Plane and Motor Company, portending the future of the airline industry as we know it today. Most famously they used what became known as the Aeromarine 75 — getting its designation “75” from the time to fly to Havana, just 75 minutes. The Aeromarine 75 had an interesting full circle history beginning with Curtiss as the H.12, then improved by Felixstowe into the F5L and finally to Aeromarine Plane and Motor Company after WW I for conversion to the airliner known as the Aeromarine 75 as well as the first international airliner of the United States.

The Vacation Store on the corner of SW 42nd Ave/LeJuene Rd and SW 11th St in Coral Gables/Miami has artwork reminiscent of the Aeromarine 75 which is fitting since it flew in Florida in our first international airline eventually to be bought by Juan Trippe launching Pan American Airways with much of its business run from Miami.

But to really experience the aircraft stream or rent the 1977 film The People that Time Forgot. A highly realistic model (albeit with only a pusher engine, not the inline tractor and pusher engines) as well as set, along with expansive aerial photography, do an excellent pre-CGI job of seeing this aircraft aboard the HMS Polar Queen, flying through narrow mountain passes and realistically force landing onto inhospitable volcanic terrain (á lá the Canary Islands where much of the film’s location shooting was done).

Grumman HU-16E Albatross at the USCG Air Base Clearwater — photo by Joseph May

The Albatross, Grumman’s largest amphibian, served as a rescue aircraft in the U.S. Air Force as well as the U.S. Coast Guard as well as several countries other than the United States. This HU-16E was recently placed at the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater — which is adjacent to the Saint Petersburg–Clearwater Airport. See the 1964 film, Flight from Ashiya, for great flying shots (both external and internal) of a USAF Air Rescue Service HU-16 Albatross.

USCG warning, making photography of this HU-16 an over-the-fence endeavour — photo by Joseph May

USCG Grumman HU-16E Albatross through the wire — photo by Joseph May

Grumman HU-16E Albatross aircraft were amphibious with twin engines and radar — photo by Joseph May

Enjoyment due to this book is long and deep. It is not for those who feel formulae and graphs take the wonder out of the world but it is for those who like to hear nature’s singing with mathematical precision. Notably, Hunt addresses how wings fly and not airfoil sections as is so often done elsewhere. It is the wings that do most of the flying and the education continues with the varying forms of drag, engine design, landing gear arrangements, high alpha versus low alpha landings, etc. Hunt describes in easy to understand language dotted with gems of observation (why delta winged aircraft cannot have flaps and how naval aviators specialize in low-speed flight) engines as well as propellers all the while explaining their importance to flight. Many more areas of powered flight are also dealt with in the same easy to relate to manner.

Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators will be welcomed by those who wish to understand flight and all of its interrelated factors but also should be considered for use as a math teaching aid for math students since this is applied knowledge and much more exciting than most text books.

Lighter-than-air flight is not addressed nor are flying boats. Hunt explains helicopters, though, and drops one of his gems here when mentioning that a helicopter’s autorotation is the same as windmilling of an airplane’s propeller :)

Aerodynamics for Naval Aviators would be a great book for a precocious student since the math here is applied to visceral and exciting real world examples. The book is a treasure trove which costs only a few dollars.

During World War II the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) flew the Nakajima A6M-2N Navy Type 2 Interceptor/Fighter-Bomber — which had the Allied codename of “Rufe” — a modified Mitsubishi A6M Zero Model 11. Employed often by night, and unchallenged in those early days prior to the advent of radar, Rufes especially challenged the U.S. Navy’s glamorous PT boats in southwest Pacific but also were initially effective in the north Pacific, as well.

The U.S. Navy (USN) investigated the utility of placing floats on the F3F Wildcat for the same reason as the IJN’s Rufe — these aircraft could be relatively easily operated from forward areas without airfields. The wide expanses of water in the Pacific Theater of Operations combined with the remoteness of many of the combat areas gave float planes, as well as flying boats, advantages over the penalty of additional drag inherent to their design which their airfield or flight deck dependent kin did not share.

A single F3F-3 Wildcat was modified with the addition of Edo made floats, becoming the F3F-3S, but better known by its “Wildcatfish” nickname. Like the Rufe the F3F-3S incurred a massive speed penalty with its floats making it all but helpless against conventional fighter aircraft of the day. Unlike the IJN, the USN did not have to accept the drag penalty of float equipped fighters since their Seabees proved adept at rapidly building airfields — one of the deciding factors leading to the Allied victory since the IJN did not construct airfields readily or as often. This proved to be decisive especially in the Battle for Guadalcanal when the IJN were operating from Rabaul which was a great distance (mission times were several hours) from Guadalcanal.